LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster County man may spend up to 50 years in jail for the shooting death of 25-year-old Jatavis Scott in 2022.
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, Tyler Wilson, 30, from Columbia, was found guilty by jury of third-degree murder, persons not to possess a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and eight counts of recklessly endangering another person for shooting Scott in the parking lot of the former Club Twenty3 following a barfight that continued outside on March 29, 2022.
Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle sentenced Wilson to 25 to 50 years in prison for the deadly shooting.
Wilson's defense counsel spoke on Wilson being a good candidate for rehabilitation and mentioned Wilson's family support as reasons for a mitigated that started at 17.5 years.
However, Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman argued the victim's family also came to the trial in support of Scott.
“They came from Mississippi,” Fetterman said. “The difference was their loved one is gone. The victim had light too and the defendant snuffed that out.”
Fetterman pointed out that Wilson and Scott did not know each other prior to the night of the murder.
“This was a senseless murder,” Fetterman said. “It wasn’t a gang dispute that went wrong or something like that. It was just people out at the bar.”
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, evidence showed a verbal argument began between Scott and Wilson inside the club and eventually escalated into a physical altercation.
Security at Club Twenty3 successfully moved the parties outside of the club. The groups were briefly separated before reconvening and Wilson and Scott reportedly began fighting one-on-one.
The individuals were separated again before starting to move back toward each other when video evidence showed a flash of light coming from the end of Wilson’s arm consistent with a muzzle flash from a firearm.
Further testimony and evidence revealed two shots were fired and Wilson was within feet of the victim at the time of the shots.
Scott was pronounced dead after being driven to a local hospital. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office later ruled his death as a gunshot wound to the chest and manner as homicide.
“Any individual watching the video would say, ‘Just get in your car and leave because nothing good is going to happen right now,’” Judge Sponaugle said during the sentencing proceeding. “This defendant causes it to break out more by chasing the victim and ending the victim’s life. By ending the life of the victim, you threw away yours.”
